Weekend Wine Expedition Stop 3; Quintessa Breakfast
Waking up early in Napa has its benefits. The fog is slowly burning off in the vineyards, songbirds are everywhere and everything is green and back-lit by the sun. It’s pretty rad.
What’s even ‘radder’ is having a 9AM appointment to meet the winemaker at Quintessa. There wasn’t even time for coffee or breakfast as we pointed the Wine Expedition RV south from Calistoga.
Wine maker Charles Thomas met us at the winery and politely suggested we park the RV and get into his SUV. That’s because the road to the highest point on the property is not RV friendly. After a 10 minute drive we arrived and walked out onto a deck underneath an old, stoic oak tree. I thanked Charles for his suggestion (the RV would have NEVER made it) and then I shifted my gaze beyond him and looked upon the Quintessa property below us. What I saw took my breath away. The view is SPECTACULAR, and I had some thought about being the closest I’d ever been to heaven or to my creator, but I couldn’t even get words out to summarize my feelings. The 280 acres (170 are planted) are spread out over the hills and valleys of this incredible piece of land off Napa’s famed Silverado Trail. According to Quintessa’s website: “The estate includes a valley, a lake, a river; five hills, four microclimates, and many soil types, as well as rich flora and fauna,” and I can vouch for the accuracy of that statement… I saw it all with my own two eyes.
As the WEBISODES are coming soon, I won’t go into too much more detail. As far as the wines, I mean… what can I say; it’s Quintessa for crying out loud. We had a chance to taste two vintages side by side and note the nuances that change from year to year. These classic Bordeaux style blends are elegant beyond belief, from nose to finish. Above all, the wines showcase the superb fruit grown on this property. I shook the hand of the man who made the wines and thanked him for the best breakfast I’ve had my entire life.
Charles then took us back down the hill to the tasting room. He wanted us to taste another wine made on the property: Faust. Faust is less expensive than Quintessa, but it’s not meant to be a ’second’ label. Rather, it’s a wine that uses some of the fruit on the property that doesn’t fit the flavor profile of Quintessa. While Quintessa is reminiscent of Bordeaux, Faust is much more a classic Napa wine; as their website says: “Bold and powerful, yet elegant and concentrated.” I can confirm the accuracy of that statement too… I tasted the wines with my own mouth. Again, we compared two vintages side by side, and again I was drinking some amazing wine. But the adventure wasn’t over yet…
Charles had one more bottle he wanted to open for us (and I wasn’t going to say no). It was truly a surprise- I had no idea that Quintessa made a white wine, yet there it was in front of me… a bottle of Illumination. If the Quintessa and the Faust were the main courses of my meal, the Illumination was dessert. A crisp, refreshing Sauvignon Blanc with some Semillon added for texture and a unique clone of Sauvignon Blanc called Sauvignon Musque added for an added floral quality and a flavor of orange zest. This was a tasty treat indeed.
On that note, Charles sent us on our way. Jeff drove the RV and I took a nap. It wasn’t even 10:30 AM yet…
